


Good Rivals Learn from One Another

by Nejilover022



Series: NarutoRarePair2020 [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Day 3, Kissing, M/M, Mentions of Death, Nejilee, Rivals to Lovers, just gonna ignore canon and replace it with my own, narutorarepairweek2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:27:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24015937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nejilover022/pseuds/Nejilover022
Summary: After surviving the 4th ninja war, it takes Neji time to reajust to life as a shinobi. Luckily for him, he can count on Lee.
Relationships: Hyuuga Neji/Rock Lee
Series: NarutoRarePair2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1737745
Comments: 5
Kudos: 39





	Good Rivals Learn from One Another

Technically, Neji Hyûga did die in that moment. But he was probably just too stubborn to go like that because a minute later, his heart starts beating again. It’s slow, but it’s there. That gives Sakura enough time to swoop in and stabilize his condition.

“He’s gonna be so mad when he sees Sakura’s awful work on his hair”, comments Lee in between sobs.

“Oh, absolutely”, Tenten agrees relieved that a heinous haircut is all they’re left to deal with.

…………….

The first time Neji wakes up, it lasts barely a few seconds, enough to see his two best friends uncomfortably seated in their chair dozing off. That’s how he knows it’s okay to go back to sleep.

The second time, Hinata is there. She tells him Lee and Tenten went to see Gai-sensei. She keeps talking; the sound of her voice is comforting. He falls asleep before they come back.

The third time, Neji’s alone. He tries to take a deep breath, but it hurts far too much. Right…this reminds him of when he was similarly injured during the Sasuke’s retrieval mission, only a tad worse this time around. He closes his eyes and hopes he’ll see his friends when he wakes up. This better be the last time he gets impaled because it’s starting to get old!

…………….

The sensation of fingers playing through his hair stirs him into consciousness. Neji feels the presence of Lee and Tenten even with his eyes closed.

“If we give him bangs, we could blame it on Sakura.”

“I say we give him a bowl cut.”

“You should’ve let me die then.” Neji replies weakly through half a smile.

It doesn’t take long before he feels the warmth of his teammates’ embrace.

…………….

Neji lies on the cool grass, out of breath. It’s not easy to get back into his training routine after having spent so much time recovering at the hospital. It’s frustrating. This overwhelming feeling of loss. He did die, yet, he’s alive. His temporal death is what freed him of the mark. So what if this means his Byakugan has been sealed off? His freedom is worth far much more than his ability. So why isn’t he happy?

Neji is glad Lee’s seated next to him, his presence is relaxing; there’s no one else he could bare to share this moment with. Lee’s been through something similar after all.

“Thanks for not giving me the stupid ‘Everything’ll be fine’ speech.”

“Things suck sometimes.”

“I don’t know where to go from here. I can’t stop grieving who I used to be, when all I want to do is to move forward.”

Lee lies down next to Neji, “I know there’s no point in telling you to take things slow. You’re in a hurry to figure out how to adapt your fighting style. You’ve got everyone thinking you’re this cool and collected person when really you’re infuriatingly impatient. I’ve always loved that about you. You’re a genius, Neji. Even without the Byakugan, you’ll still be an amazing taijutsu specialist.”

“Don’t say it.”

“You’ll be fine.”

Neji smiles, “It’s not so bad coming from you.”

They stay there, lying under the warm sun. The grieving process can be weird at times. You don’t question it; you just do what feels right. And right now it’s basking in the reassuring presence of your rival. Neji wonders if ‘rivals’ is still the appropriate word. It’s not he comes to realise. When did the shift occur? And most importantly, what did it morph into? Friends? Obviously they are. Yet, ‘Friends’ stirs strong feelings of insatiability he can’t explain.

“It’ll be fun training with you: adjusting my fighting style, relearning the basics, and all. Almost like we’re rivals again.”

“Know what’ll make it truly like old times?”, asks Lee.

“What?”

“Remember where we used to sneak off to?”

Neji smiles at his dear friend, “Of course I do. Come by the house around eight.”

…………….

The night is pleasantly warm, ideal for a party. And wouldn’t you know it; a celebration is being held at the Hyûga household tonight. That’s convenient for Neji’s plans. After he attends the required amount of time that’s expected of him, he’s free to quietly sneak away with Lee. Well, not really, but he does it anyway.

They’ve done it plenty of times in the past. Unfortunately, this time they comes extremely close to being discovered when Hiashi opens the closet’s door. A mistake that could’ve been fatal if it hadn’t been expertly covered by Lee’s quick thinking…His manners left something to be desired, but since it worked, Neji can’t complain. Shooed away by Hiashi, they leave the Hyûga residence, and walk quietly along the river.

“Sorry for kissing without warning”, Lee apologizes. He couldn’t take this dreadful silence anymore.

“It’s fine.” Neji assures, “Thought I’m still unsure as to why you fondled me like that.”

To make it look like a hot mess! Displays of affection make people uncomfortable; if Hiashi knew what we were actually doing in his closet, you’d be in so much trouble.”

“If I could still use my Byakugan…”

“Neji, no. Considering we’ve been sneaking in there since we were genin, our luck had to run thin at one point. Maybe we’ve gotten sloppy”, Lee deduces.

“What’s sloppy is your so-called kissing”, Neji counters with a smirk.

“Hey! That slobbery mess saved your life! And for the record, I normally kiss way better than that.”

“And here I was feeling sorry for all the people whose mouths you gracelessly shoved your tongue in.”

“Shut up!”

“Come on, it’s just us here, Lee. You can admit you don’t know how to kiss.”

“I do so!”

“I don’t.”

“What?”

“I just never got around to try.”

“Neji! You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“That can’t be your first-kiss story! _Urr durr_ my uncle walked in on us in the closet where he keeps his secret stash of secret scrolls full of ultra secret Hyûga techniques so we made out to throw him off.

“I think it’s a great story…provided Hiashi doesn’t hear about it.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

“So…how do you normally kiss people?”

“Muscle memory? Don’t laugh! Kissing is hard to explain with words!”

“Will you teach me?”

Lee’s breath hitched. He can’t process what Neji had just asked and breathe at the same time; he’s only human after all.

“I can’t do it on command! The mood has to be set.”

Neji looks at the scenery surrounding them: pale moonlight reflecting on the lake, smoothing serenade courtesy of the nearby frog choir, wind softly blowing cherry blossoms’ petals, fireflies buzzing about illuminating the night.

“Sure is a shame Konoha is the least romantic village.”

Lee is at a loss for words.

“What, you nervous?”, taunts Neji.

Lee takes the bait, if anything can bring him back in command; it’s a good old-fashioned challenge. He takes Neji’s hand and leads him towards the trees.

“Okay, so first you have to…hum…”

“Get close?” Neji inquires as he does so.

“Good, you pick things up fast. Now, we figure out hand placements.”

Neji had poked fun at Lee’s nervousness until now, but as Lee grabs his waist and brings him closer than he had dared to advance, his nerves catch up to him. The seriousness of the situation dawns on him as he struggles to find a place to rest his hands; must both hand rest on the same place? With Lee’s arms in the way, it’s difficult to mirror his position. But it feels cramped to leave them Lee’s shoulders, so maybe he could slide them around Lee’s neck? Was that too intimate?

“Look who’s nervous now.”

“Well it’s not like I have a lot of experience.”

“So?”

“What if I’m bad at it?”

“A genius like you? I don’t think that’s even possible.”

“I’m serious!”

“Who cares if you’re bad at it?”

“Shouldn’t you?”

“Right…Let’s get to work then.”

Neji nods finally deciding on a position.

“What now? We close our eyes and go at it?”

“No, this is our first kiss.”

“Is it though?”

“As far as the rest of the world is concerned, yes. Therefore, we make it special.”

“How?”, Neji asks.

“By not rushing in.”

“So like the exact opposite of what you did earlier.”

“Look it’s easy, I go 90% of the way then I hold.”

“Hold for what?”

“For you to finish the other 10%.”

Neji’s confused as to why there’s numbers involved, but Lee starts inching closer and he forgets all about math. It feels insufferably slow, 90% of a meter would’ve been faster so how hasn’t Lee reached destination yet? Is he supposed to go for much longer? Lee said not to rush in but that’s precisely what Neji wants to do. He wants to enjoy the kiss this time around. Frankly impatient, Neji closes the space at 12%.

A meek brush of lips…That’s it? All this buildup for that? Since they went through all that trouble, Neji decides they’ve earned another try. Many more tries actually. He dives in, unsure of how the hell he’s supposed to move. Guess it’s one of those things he’ll learn on the job.

Every change of pace, shift in positions, and pauses in between the kisses remind Neji of how inexperienced he is; he feels ridiculous. Other people made it look clean and easy. This feels like the complete opposite of a picture perfect first kiss…Lee probably regrets wasting his time with me, the thought haunts Neji’s mind making him break the flow. Lee is quick to slide a hand behind Neji’s head to resume the kiss. Every time Lee matches his movements, Neji remembers how much Lee cares for him. They wouldn’t be here otherwise. His worries melt away making place to confidence.

It isn’t long before he’s comfortable enough to slip in some tongue. It’s definitely weird, he thinks, but not completely unpleasant. Kissing is nice. Neji finds he’d love to kiss his friend more often. Friends…Is that what they are still? Because there’s definitely nothing friendly going on between them at the moment especially not with the pleasurable way their bodies had entangled themselves.

Lee pulls himself apart and takes a moment to catch his breath, “I think it’s enough for now.”

“That good, uh?” Neji teases just as breathless.

“What’d I say, you’re a genius.” 

Neji pokes at Lee’s flushed cheeks, Lee gently takes his hand, “Come on, I’ll walk you home.”

Once they’re back at the Hyûga residence, they stop unsure of how to part now. Neji would usually say his goodbyes and that’d be it. After everything that’s happened tonight, Neji finds himself desiring more. It surprises him just how fast he’s come to enjoy kissing. Lee leans in and Neji smiles as he realises Lee wants him just as much. This time he knows what to do with his hands.

Lee brushes Neji’s short hair, grateful the one he loves is here.

“Well, look how far you’ve come”, comments Lee.

“Do you wanna come in?”

“I would, but I think your uncle has had enough of me for today. Were you hoping for something more than making out?”

“A guy can hope.”

Lee presses a kiss on Neji’s forehead, “That’ll be a lesson for next time.”

**Author's Note:**

> It feels great to finally share my canon ^^ The whole 4th war is a big blur to me because at that point I was tired of the manga and just wanted it to end. Neji's death killed me and I thought: arent there people who are declared legally dead but still come back to life like a few minutes after?????? So In my head that's what happened. Neji's free of the mark but he gets his byakugan sealed off so he cant use it no more because I like a bit of angsty equivalent exchange ^^  
> And after the war (Depending on which version) Neji gets with Lee eventually  
> Also I imagined genin Neji would sneak out secret Hyuga scrolls to learn his techniques because no one from the main branch would teach him. At some point Lee started to help  
> Bit of a mess, I hope it's understandable through the story ^^' hope you enjoy my canon haha
> 
> Are frog choir considered romantic? I think it is but maybe im mistaking ^^' I was listening to the one from Majora's mask :)
> 
> Enjoy <3


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